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Monday, March 18, 2024

50 Cent partners with Pacers in multi-year deal

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Throughout the last few years, Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has been making power moves – pun intended – and his newest venture benefits youth in the Indianapolis area and the local economy.

The multi-talented, world-renown rapper is partnering with the Indiana Pacers to empower “urban kids to develop the confidence, tools and knowledge (necessary) to excel in life.”

Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson said the partnership with 50 Cent and The G-Unity Foundation, the entertainer’s charitable organization, gives the city of Indianapolis the chance to “deliver new world-class experiences not only to our premium guests but to all visitors to Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indianapolis community, at large.”

In October, the Indiana Pacers inked a deal with 50 Cent to showcase his brand at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be held here in Indianapolis.

The deal calls for the G-Unity Foundation and the Indiana Pacers to invest in the Indianapolis youth throughout 2023-24 and 2024-25 NBA seasons. This also marks Jackson’s third official NBA partnership.

Fuson said he was “excited” to work with 50 Cent and the G-Unity Foundation because the partnership will “improve the lives of our city’s young people while bringing Pacers fans Sire Spirit’s award-winning premium products.”

If the venture is anything like Jackson’s previous NBA partnerships, the city can anticipate a boost in community involvement and positive youth engagement. In similar partnerships, The G-Unity Foundation established “business labs” in Houston and Sacramento respectively.

50 Cent visited Indianapolis to launch a partnership with Pacers Sports and Entertainment. (Photo by Oseye Boyd)

Per the foundation’s website, The G-Unity Business Lab is “a program that’s making a real difference in young people’s lives. It’s a year-long course that equips students in high-need communities with business acumen so they can start their own companies and achieve generational wealth. The Lab brings kids and knowledge together.”

The terms of the multi-year partnership between Jackson and the Indiana Pacers will be ironed out in the coming months.

The rapper’s involvement provides the city with a much-needed breath of fresh air, the Pacers said. 50 Cent’s Sire Spirits became the official alcohol partner of the Indiana Pacers and a core partner of next year’s NBA All-Star Game.

The courtside bar known as The East Sideline Club will become known as the Sire Spirits ‘67 Club. Guests in the club can expect to see 50 Cent’s critically acclaimed Branson Cognac and his award-winning champagne, along with other Sire Spirit products.

The partnership also gives life to a new bar that will annex the south side of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Balcony Level. This new speakeasy will host alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages such as ‘virgin’ daiquiris and slushies.

Daniel Lopez, the vice president of External Relations and Corporate Communications at Pacers Sports and Entertainment, believes “50 Cent is very passionate” about giving back to the community and investing in the youth.

The announcement of the partnership arrives on the heels of the third phase of the “Fieldhouse of the Future” project. The former is regarded as the second-largest renovation endeavor in the history of the NBA. The project, estimated to be worth $360 million, brings brand-new amenities and exhilarating experiences to the Fieldhouse and all fans, the team said.

Over the course of the last two decades, 50 Cent has become a business mogul. Debuting in the early 2000s, the “Get Rich or Die Trying” rapper used his platform to turn himself into executive producer, entrepreneur, director, and New York Times best-selling author and philanthropist. 50 Cent’s claim to fame originally came in the form of a near-death experience after being shot nine times and surviving the barrage.

In a press release following the announcement of the partnership, 50 Cent affirmed that he is “excited to have (Sire Spirits and The G-Unity Foundation) featured at one of the countries newest premiere entertainment venues. I’m excited to be a part of the new development that Gainbridge Fieldhouse will bring to the city of Indianapolis. I look forward to meeting and spending time with fans.”


Contact multimedia staff writer Noral Parham III at 317-762-7846. Follow him on Twitter @noralparham. For more news from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.

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